When it comes to the Great American Novel, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more quintessential pick than Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. The book's unflinching depiction of a soldier's life ...

Written by Stephen Crane when he was just 24, The Red Badge of Courage is a Civil War story that captured the imaginations of readers worldwide and made its author an overnight literary icon. Now ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write a weekly profile on the Great Books. It’s shameful to admit, but I’ve not yet read Stephen Crane’s (1871-1900) great Civil ...

A writer befriends a movie star named M and proceeds to write an imagined version of M’s life story in this fascinating and complex work of metafiction from Cusk (Parade). The Continue reading » ...

During the Civil War, a young man enthusiastically joins the Union army thirsting to find glory and honor, but his first battle opens his eyes to the reality of how un-glorious and dishonorable war ...

Throughout “The Red Badge of Courage,” Stephen Crane embeds symbolism using mother nature to reflect emotions (i.e., fear, rage, mystery in the darkness of trees) to ensnare the essence of battle as ...